Hi,
I am planning a month long trip to Europe this summer and I want to get a new digital camera. However, I am having trouble deciding between the FZ35 and the ZS7. I really like the more professional look of the FZ35 and the better image quality, but the bulk is a con for travel. I would probably never use RAW and leave it an auto most of the time, and get a Crumpler 3, 4, or 5 Million Dollar Home to carry it everyday plus my wallet, phone, etc .
However, with the ZS7 I can use any bag I want, or a pocket, plus it has the GPS for iPhoto, but the quality isn't as good.
I am really stuck between the pro-look/features but bulk of the FZ35 and the GPS but consumer-look of the ZS7.

I am wondering if you have any thoughts on which would be better, or any advise to help me decide.
Thanks in advance!

You will want quality over quantity...and the FZ35 is extremely light and for an 18x zoom it is very small...the generous amount of settings is great if you venture out with those or get bored with plain ole green box shooting...the battery life on the FZ35 is great also...read through the bag thread here it looks like ther are plenty that are sufficient and not be "oversized"...I would take a walking stick/monopod they are cheap and are great just to mount you camera on top and go walking or hiking...

On your trip to europe, how are you traveling, via rail, car, or plane from point to point? As this is a major trip, month long, if you can accept the larger size. I would go with the higher quality then with the compact camera. You will want the high quality photos for Rome and Paris if you are going to visit those cities. And the long zooms helps out.

With the bag, you will not need a crumpler 5 million dollar home to fit the fz35, 4 will do fine. I have a 5million for the epl-1 mounted 14-42mm, a 45-200mm, 35mm macro with 4/3 adapter, cleaning kit, gorillapod slr, couple of filters and batteries and there is still enough room to add some other stuff and my wallet. With the 4 million you will fit the camera, extra batteries, clean kit, your wallet, and if you want a gorillapod slr.

Thanks for the advice, right know I think I just need a find a store with then so I can see them for myself. It's really the GPS/size vs the image quality. Although after five years with a 5MP Powershot I am pretty sure any new camera will impress me. Perhaps the FZ35 and a $150 compact is the way to go?
And thanks for the tip on the bag. The trip is being planned right now but space shouldn't be an issue, I am just concerned with hauling a larger camera on day tours and stuff.
Thanks again!

The FZ35 and an inexpensive compact may be a good option. You can leave you big camera at the hotel when you go out at night and bring the little guy in you pocket. Just do not expect great low light results if the subject is out of flash range. But for shots within 10-12 feet a built in flash would do nicely.

I also own the FS7 - it is Panny's last generation 10MP 4x zoom ultracompact - very stylish, all-metal body, takes awesome photos, and is without the possible downsides of the new 14mp sensor in their new range. At $139 it is also a huge bargain at the moment.

Thanks for the suggestions, I was looking at the FZ7 last night (would be my top choice if I do two cameras). But I realized two cameras is going to push me over what I would ideally like to spend, which is under $350.

I am leaning toward the ZS7, the small size is growing on me, and after looking at a bunch of different review sites the image quality appears to be very close between the two when left on auto (I will probably leave it on auto 90% of the time). The deciding factor between the two for me then would be which has better image stabilization and better image quality when on auto. And if the quality is pretty close, I will probably opt for the smaller size.

So this raises two questions I was hoping someone might be able to answer:
At full 18x zoom on the FZ35 (and 12x on the ZS7) can you handhold a shot outside in sunlight?
If you leave everything on auto, is there going to be a huge difference in image quality between the FZ35 and ZS7?

Once again, thanks for all the advice and reply's. This seems like a great forum, with lots of knowledgeable and helpful people. Thanks again!

If you look at the FZ35 Zoom Capability threads it will give you an idea of what is possible with the FZ35 in my shaky hands ad no Monopod or Tripod...I posted different situations that the FZ35 will excell at compared to the ZS7, but I don't on a Pocket Rocket so to speak I only have a Panny TS-1 and an Olympus Tough 6000 an they are no match for the FZ35 for Quality, IQ, or Speed...